Opposites Attract
by Miki Boy
Summary: When Levy is invited to stay at the Royal's castle, she jumps at the opportunity... But with a murderer stalking the streets, treason, and a certain dark haired knight infiltrating her thoughts, this month may be a lot more chaotic than she first thought.
1. First Impressions

**Welcome to my newest multi-chapterd project. (^_^) Some key notes regarding the story at the end, so please read them.**

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**Opposites Attract**

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#01: First Impressions

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><p>A man stood, looking out the stained glass window as his eyes stared out into the distance and his thoughts remained occupied.<p>

He said nothing when a figure slid through the huge open doors of the room, the new arrival walking forward and coming to a step several feet behind him.

Only then did he speak.

"Did you find her?"

A bow of the head. "I believe so my Lord."

He turned around to face them, one eyebrow arched. "_Believe so?_"

The person pressed their lips together, "It's unconfirmed..."

When the man made no reply and continued to watch expectedly, they went on.

"I've already made preperations to observe the girl, if all goes as planned she should be in our hands by the end of the month."

He nodded. "Well then, I expect you to accomplish that without any mistakes." His underlying threat of what would happen should everything _not_ go as planned was left unsaid.

"Very well my Lord." with a bow, the figure left the room.

Turning back to the window, the man narrowed his eyes.

_Enjoy your freedom whilst you can little girl._

_It won't last..._

* * *

><p>"Levy-chan, do you <em>have<em> to go?"

"Oh relax guys, it's only a month."

"But your family…"

"Are perfectly okay with me going. Infact they love it, it does create better ties with the Royals after all."

"Then let us escort you!"

"I'm fine, why would I need escorts when there's the entire Royal Guard there to keep me safe?"

The two men sighed in defeat, no further excuses nor protests coming to mind.

Sparing a glance to the duo, the girl's lips curved into a smile. Closing the lid on her last suitcase, she turned towards them and placed both hands on her hips. "I'll be back before you know it. I barely see Lu-chan other than at events or the odd visit, so I'm excited to be spending a month at her castle."

When they both glanced up, wounded expressions on either face, she sighed. A second later, an idea came to mind. "You know, there's gonna be a ball at the end of the month… I promise I'll save a dance for each of you then."

And like a switch flipped, their faces instantaneously burst into huge grins as they thanked her eagerly. Levy could almost imagine them with wagging tails on their behinds, the thought causing her smile to widen.

"Levy-san! It's time to go!"

At the voice that drifted from downstairs, Levy turned around and grabbed her suitcase. All her other belongings were already in the carriage waiting.

"Oh no, no Levy! Let us carry it!"

"Hey_ I'll_ carry it!"

"No, me!"

Rolling her eyes at their bickering with a smile, she walked past the two with the suitcase in her own hands. "Bye Jet, bye Droy. I'll miss you!"

It took them a full minute before they turned away from another and realised she'd vanished, by then the young mistress having already left. The other occupants in the large house all sighed at the sounds of their wails.

* * *

><p>"Oh, I can carry that Miss. McGarden."<p>

"Hm? Oh it's fine; this has a special book in it I want to give to Lu-chan as soon as I meet her."

The older man who'd been the one to drive the carriage nodded, "Very well."

As he began unloading the luggage at the back of the small vehicle, Levy glanced around the court yard of the castle. There was no sight of the Princess but that was to be expected, the young blonde was probably trapped in etiquette lessons and hating every second of it. From the corner of her eye she spotted a few of the castle servants coming outside to help with the luggage.

Seeing no source of interest to keep her waiting here, she began walking off. The man sent a soft warning that she shouldn't wander around but since he made no move to stop what he was doing and go after her, she didn't pay much attention. Sending a smile his way, Levy resumed her exploring; she'd been on visits to the castle ever since she was young so she had a fairly good sense of direction in the large place.

Vanishing off the court yard, she took a path down to the gardens, searching for one familiar spot in particular. It didn't take long; the shaded spot beneath the large oak tree coming into view soon enough.

With a sigh of contentment as she removed her high heeled shoes, she unzipped her suitcase and pulled out a few books, plopping herself down on the grass and immersing herself in the pages. This was one thing she loved about the castle; the grounds were so large that it was easy to find a quiet and serene place within the gardens… This spot in particular had been a favourite of hers whenever she visited the castle, becoming a nostalgic place. Back at her own house, she had to go all the way out of the town into an isolated field to get the same sense of relaxation. – And since her family were nobles, her parents didn't look too highly on her vanishing off by herself.

Her house did have its own garden which she _could_ use… But due to her family being fairly low in the hierarchy of nobles, it wasn't exactly large and since she lived in the centre of the town, she had the constant rush of noises in the background.

She envied Lucy sometimes.

She wasn't jealous of the money or clothes; it was simple things she envied. Like the huge gardens, or extensive library – oh God, it was so big – or literature classes.

Turning another page, she cast a glance across the scenery, eyes sweeping over the large water fountain sat in the centre of several benches spread out in a circle, paths branching off in different directions between each.

Just as she was returning her attention to the pages however, a blur of movement caught her eyes.

Snapping her head up, her eyes narrowed as she stared into the green foliage on the other side of the fountain. Unconsciously she found her hand slipping towards one of the high heels, thoughts of using the spike as a weapon should she need to.

Silence.

Her frowned deepened as a stillness over took the scene, no foreign sounds reaching her ears. For a moment she began to wonder if she'd simply imagined the whole thing.

"_**LILY! GET THE FUCK BACK HERE!" **_

Within the blink of an eye, a blurred shape darted out of the undergrowth, hopping onto one of the benches and taking a defensive stance as it turned towards one of the branching paths.

Wait.

Was that a cat?...

"_**YOU BASTARD!"**_

Still in shock of seeing a cat that seemed to be too human-like to be true, her eyes switched to the infuriated figure marching onto the scene. Eyes wide, she watched as the towering man made his way for the feline, anger practically falling off him in waves.

The cat simply watched the oncoming man with a bored expression. "I don't see what you're so angry about Gajeel."

The cat spoke.

It spoke!

She was now openly gaping as she tried to take in everything before her, her mother and father would scald her if they saw her expression.

"**You… You…"** the man snarled, **"They were **_**my **_**things."**

"Yes. And since I live with you also, I think my actions were quite justified."

The man looked like he was about to explode on the cat, and Levy was beginning to fear for the safety of the feline… but one look at the guy and all thoughts of standing up to him scampered off.

"Before you blow up on me." the cat added, "I'd like to draw to your attention that we do have an audience." He glanced in Levy's direction.

Crap.

The man also turned her way.

Double crap.

Realising she still had her mouth wide open, she instantly closed it. Bark pressing into her back as she leaned away from his direction.

His thunderous glare simmered when his eyes fell on her, his expression morphing into something more of soft irritation. When his eyes took a slight detour down to the floor beside her with interest, it took her a second before she realised in horror she was holding her shoe poised slightly in the air in defence.

Before she could think of releasing it, his eyes snapped back onto her face.

"Who the fuck are you?"

What?

She balked at him.

"Gajeel, don't be rude." The cat chastised.

"Shut up." The man spat with a glare his way, "I'm still angry at you."

"Why? Because I tried to bring some civilisation to the pig sty you call a home?"

"Because you messed my place up!"

"I _cleaned_ it."

"Same thing!"

Deciding now was a good time to escape whilst the two were distracted, she threw the book into her suitcase and stood up with her shoes in her other hand. Unfortunately, she got barely a step forward before the man – Gajeel was it? – snapped his head towards her.

"Where you going?"

"Uh…"

"Who are ya?"

"Erm…"

"How'd you get in here?"

"Ah…"

His eyes narrowed at her uncommitted answers, causing Levy to feel more and more stupid – a rare occasion since she was actually highly intelligent.

But what did he expect her to say when he glared at her so intensely whilst barking questions?

"Forgive the rudeness of my partner." The feline once again spoke up, "Despite being a Knight, the concept of chivalry is quite foreign to him."

Him? A knight?

"You're joking right?"

When the cat's eyebrows raised in amusement, she slapped her hands over her mouth in horror, her luggage and footwear falling to the ground as she realised she'd just said that out loud.

She glanced at the man. He glared back at her.

Oh boy…

"Um, I-I should be leaving…" she stammered, quickly bending down and grabbing her things as she tried to back away.

"What? Like hell you are!" he snapped, marching forward and grabbing her by the forearm. She let out a small 'eep' and glared up at him defiantly, courage surfacing in her. She wasn't gonna let some random guy man-handle her! Enough cowering already!

"Who. Are. You?" he asked, enunciating each word deliberately which caused her anger to spark further.

"I'm _not_ a child." She snapped, shaking her hand out of his release, "So don't talk to me like one!"

It was a sore topic for Levy, despite being seventeen she looked quite younger – always had in her teen years. She didn't like anything that made comparisons between her being a young child, especially since she would legally be an adult in a few months.

He raised an eyebrow at her snappy reply.

"And." She replied, eyes narrowing, "I am Levy McGarden, a noble and close friend of the Princess, here on personal invitation. If you are a Knight, it'd be in your duty to treat me with respect!"

When she'd finished, she folded her arms in a huff, looking at him with an unsaid dare in her gaze for him to try disrespecting her again.

She'd done it. She'd actually said all of that without letting her voice waver once!

She gave herself a mental pat on the back, now focusing on ensuring her legs didn't fall out beneath her from terror or that her gaze didn't waver.

"I think you've met your match Gajeel."

When the man's eyes left hers to focus on the cat, Levy let out a quick sigh of relief. Turning a grateful expression on the animal who was watching with a smirk of amusement.

"Hn."

Eager to get away from the man, she took a step back. When his eyes slid back to her, she corrected her direction and instead made a beeline for the cat – if he wouldn't let her escape, she'd at least make sure she was next to the less scary one.

The cat seemed to catch her intentions, his smirk widening as she came to crouch in front of him.

"Hi. Levy McGarden." She offered a hand.

"Pleasure. I'm Pantherlily, an Exceed." He placed a paw in her grasp which she shook a few times.

"Oh wow." She beamed, knowledge of the species coming to mind from what she'd read, _now_ his human qualities made sense! "I've never met an Exceed before."

Her smile quickly vanished when she became all too aware of the strong presence not so far behind her.

"Apologies for my partner's actions." Lily explained, "He's not all that good on socialisation, he did spend the first thirteen years of his life as a wild child."

"Huh?"

"Shut yer trap!"

Only just moving out of the way as Gajeel barrelled forward to start another verbal fight with the Exceed, Levy stood up once again, brushing her dress down. How much time had passed? Lucy would probably be out of classes and looking for her now…

With that thought in mind, she got a firmer hold of her things and began walking away.

Of course, Gajeel couldn't let her just go without throwing one more jibe at her.

"Oi!"

She cringed, slowly turning around to his frowning face. She didn't have the strength or courage left to have another stare down with him…

Thankfully, he seemed content with just one remark.

His eyes swept over her once, "If you're so bitchy about being treated like a child, maybe try and reveal a little more skin compared to that flowery kiddy crap you're sporting right now."

What?

How dare he!

Sucking in a sharp breathe, she glared as he turned back around to his small partner, her hands forming into fists. Who did he think he was?

Without even being aware of what she was doing till it was too late, she lifted her right shoe high in the air before hurdling it forward with a strength she didn't know she quite had.

"You jerk!"

Turning back around in mid-sentence to Lily, his eyes widened as an unidentifiable blur collided with his skull. He let out a howl as he was sent catapulting backwards, his legs tripping over the bench and sending him flying down into the fountain behind him.

As the water crashed over the rim of the feature, spilling onto the stone slabs; Levy did the only thing she could think of.

She ran like hell.

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><p><strong>First chapter done! Some key things I need to say, so here they are listed in this author's note – best to get them out of the way in one go now, author notes shouldn't be too long in the future unless sharing a piece of important information about the story.<strong>

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**1. The rating for this **_**may **_**change to M, but if so it will NOT be because of sex scenes. I don't write lemons – I suck at them – so any mature rating will be because of violence or mature themes alone. **

**2. This _will_ include magic but only certain characters in story will actually have it - this will be explained further in the next few chapters.**

**3. Will be quite a few sub-pairings, two or such are quite important to the plot. **


	2. Broom Closets and Gentlemanly Behaviour

**Chapter Notes:**

**- Lucy's family rule ****Acalypha – named after the town where Love & Lucky was in the manga although in this case it's large city, the other places such as Magnolia will come into play in the next few chapters.**

**- Hierarchy of social stands goes something as shown below, obviously fictional for this story's purpose since in reality there are many other roles however I wish to keep it simple: **_**King/Queen - Prince/Princess - Duke/Duchess - Knight/Dame - Lord/Ladies (Nobles) - Normal Citizens.**_

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**Opposites Attract**

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#02: Broom Closets and Gentlemanly Behaviour

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Lucy Heartphilia, Princess of Acalypha, was in a closet.

A broom closet to be more precise.

She let out a rather unlady-like curse as one of the handles dug into her spine, muttering angrily about how she'd gotten into this situation. When footsteps sounded outside however, she immediately went still and silent, telling herself to breathe quietly so the figure wouldn't find them.

The footsteps stopped.

She moved closer to the doorway, trying to hear more easily.

"Yowch!"

She let out a loud yelp as one of the brooms dug rather painfully into her back, not noticing it would alert her presence to the person till the door swung open and she fell forward flat onto her face.

"Ow…"

"Lu-chan?"

That voice…

"Levy?"

Glancing up from her spot on the floor, she met the eyes of the familiar blue haired girl.

"Levy!" she cried, jumping up to embrace the smaller girl.

Hugging her back, Levy laughed, "It's great to see you again."

"You too!" Lucy cried, pulling away and looking the smaller girl up and down. Her smile faded, "Wait. Why are you wearing only one shoe?"

"Oh." Levy glanced away, "I sort of lost it…"

Confused by the vague response, the blonde blinked.

"So… Why were you hiding in a broom closet?" Levy asked, changing the topic.

"Ichiya's on the prowl."

Levy grimaced.

"I only just managed to escape his lesson on _perfumes_." Lucy shuddered, "God, he's unstoppable when Erza's not here."

Levy laughed as the two began to walk down the castle corridor, "When's Erza scheduled to come back?"

"Within the coming week." Lucy replied, "She's gone to take care of some forest monsters on the outskirts of the border."

"That's the Head Knight for you."

"Mm."

Levy's smile faded suddenly, "Hey, speaking of knights…"

"Hm?"

"I met one." She replied, "In the garden just now."

Lucy glanced down with a quirked eyebrow, "Yeah?..." she asked, catching on to there being more to this story that meets the eye.

Taking in a deep breathe, Levy retorted, "He's a jerk."

Lucy blinked, staring blankly at the frowning bookworm for a moment before she laughed, "That must have been Gajeel."

Levy glanced back up, taken off guard by the laughter, "Oh, um… Yes, his name was that I believe."

"Yeah, he's our second in command. Did he have a cat with him aswell?"

"You mean the Exceed?"

Lucy snorted, "He's a jackass alright. No idea of what the code of chivalry means."

"Then why did you hire him?"

"If it was to me, we wouldn't have." Lucy protested with a pout, folding her arms over her chest, "But Makarov, the King of Magnolia suggested him to us. He apparently worked for them for half a year before he started here."

"Eh? Why the transfer?"

"No idea."

As they lapsed into silence they wandered down the winding corridors and hallways, Levy found herself smiling at how Lucy so easily captured the attention of anybody they passed and treated all of them with a wave and kind words. The princess was indeed a sight to behold; beautiful, kind and graceful – well, okay, not _always_ the latter as seen when she tumbled out of the broom closet, but near enough.

Chewing her lip as they walked on, she finally couldn't take it anymore.

"Ooh! It's no use, I can't wait this long!" she cried, opening her suitcase and thrusting a book in the princess's face. Lucy blinked, focusing past her nose onto the cover. Her eyes widened.

"Is that…"

"You bet."

"You mean…"

"Uh huh."

"For me…"

"Of course."

"Oh my God!" the blonde squealed, pulling the blue haired female into a crushing hug, "I love you Levy-chan!"

Taking the book in her hold, she held it to her chest with a grin.

"Happy early birthday."

"How did you find it?" she gasped, "I've been searching for this book for months!"

"I visited some relatives in a distant town a few weeks ago." The noble girl replied as they returned their walking. "I saw it in a book store and knew you'd love it."

"Thank you!" Lucy cried, holding the book tighter, "Best birthday present ever!"

"Speaking of birthdays, how's the ball shaping up to be?"

"Urgh… So much work, my feet hurt from dancing lessons."

"Ha ha."

"Don't laugh! You'll have to take at least a few classes aswell you know?"

"What? No fair!"

"I'm not going through this suffering alone."

"You're evil Lu-chan!"

* * *

><p>Gajeel grumbled angrily as he stalked through the castle, leaving a trail of water wherever he went. He continued to mutter under his breathe, sending everyone in his path scuttling off as the intimidating young man mumbled angrily about 'kiddy bitches' and 'evil shoes.'<p>

Eventually he made in to his destination.

The kitchen.

Ignoring the frightened faces of some of the staff, he sat down at one of the small tables in the corner.

"Hey there Gajeel, the usual?" the head chef, Shitou Yajima, asked.

"Hn."

A few seconds later he was gorging down on metal scraps.

The old man watched with amusement, "Dragon Slayers truly are different to humans aren't they?"

Gajeel didn't make any response; instead he focused on keeping his mouth crammed with food. Eventually the chef walked away with a smile, the rest of the staff needed no warning to leave him alone – it was never wise to interrupt a dragon when he was eating.

Gajeel thought this place was no better than the last place he worked at, it had the same level of rowdiness – the only difference here was that here they made sure to do such things away from King's eye since unlike Magnolia's King, Mr. Heartphilia actually enforced rules and respectful behaviour.

"The princess wishes for some snacks to be brought to her room." A young girl yelled, appearing at the door of the kitchen.

"Sure thing Coco!"

"And she has her noble lady friend with her, so two portions please!"

At those words, Gajeel's eyes darkened. He glanced over to the young girl who was bounding up and down on her feet eagerly, when she noticed his gaze on her, her smile dimmed.

He continued to stare.

She fidgeted, becoming more and more nervous under his scrutiny. After ten seconds, she couldn't take it anymore. "Um! I'll go see if there's anything else; one of you can go take the things to her!"

She'd only just turned around to run off when something tugged hard on the collar of her shirt, yanking her back forcefully.

She glanced up with a sheepish smile, "Oh hi General! You're Gajeel Redfox right, the second in command? How are ya? I'm Coco by the way, the messenger for the King alongside other things-"

He waved away her speedy ranting – sheesh, how fast did she have to talk? – and narrowed his eyes, "Who's this noble lady you're on about?"

She blinked. "Huh? You mean Miss. McGarden?"

So it _was_ her.

He straightened up; at least he'd confirmed her story now and didn't have to worry about the possibility of some intruder. It wasn't often he saw people in the gardens who he didn't recognise and since he hadn't had any beforehand notices of her due arrival, he'd been a bit off guard.

"Levy McGarden is close friends with the princess." Coco went on, "She's a really nice lady-"

"_Nice?_"he hissed, memories of a high heel flying into his head.

She blinked in confusion at his anger, "Um… Yes. She's really kind and caring, aswell as intelligent – _she can translate several languages!_ – and even though her family are fairly low in the noble world, she's already had a few interests from suitors."

He snorted, uninterested in the girl's personal life. Without another word he left the kitchen, leaving a bewildered Coco staring after him.

He didn't care about the annoying mite staying at the castle.

So long as she stayed out of his way, it'd be fine.

Of course, life laughed sardonically at his hopeless wish.

* * *

><p>"How many people are gonna be coming here in the next few weeks?"<p>

"A lot."

Levy smiled at the grimace Lucy wore, "Their all coming for your eighteenth birthday princess."

She sighed, "Half of them I've never even met… My father's just inviting any person with money in hopes of getting in good with them."

July 1st marked the Princess's eighteenth birthday, and because of that, thoughts of marriage weren't far off. The ball that was being held on the princess's birthday would be the time she was expected to pick a suitor who her father approved… And because it was such an important event, various other kingdoms were sending a handful of their royal members or nobles to stay at the castle leading up to that moment in acknowledgment.

"So… Any idea who the lucky guy's gonna be?"

"W-What?" Lucy flushed.

Levy grinned, leaning forward with a spark in her eyes, "You're blushing."

"A-Am not."

She stared at the blonde for several moments, hoping to have her confess. Unfortunately the princess was incredibly stubborn and refused to say anything.

With a sigh of defeat, she leaned back on the king sized bed they were both spread out on. Both were in the princess's bedroom – _which was huuuge!_ – and had just this moment finished some snacks curtsy of the kitchen. By now her own guest room will have had all her luggage delivered and been prepared.

"I'm surprised my family got an invite." She murmured, "I mean, we're not exactly worth much."

Lucy sent her a smile, "Well of course I asked you to be invited aswell as well as a few others, I was allowed to make some personal requests on people's presences."

"Oh?"

Lucy nodded, a thoughtful expression suddenly on her face. "I'm surprised your parents let you come so easily."

"They practically shoved me out the door."

"Ha, they're probably hoping you'll charm some rich duke or prince into marriage."

Levy let out a laugh, "Oh please."

"It _could_ happen! You've already had interest from a few suitors right?"

"Those were from other nobles on the same hierarchy of the social ladder as myself or ordinary citizens. I highly doubt I'd get offers from somebody as high as a duke or prince."

"Hm… Knight perhaps?"

"Urgh, don't talk about knight suitors in front of me."

A laugh.

"Oh, sorry to interrupt Princess."

Both girls suddenly turned their hands to the door to where a maid stood.

"It's fine Ms. Supetto." Lucy said with a smile, "What is it?"

"Your dancing instructor is here…"

"Oh." Her face fell.

Levy smirked.

"O-Okay…" the blonde sighed, standing up. She spared a glance to the amused Levy and frowned, "You can laugh now but next time you'll be there with me!"

Levy watched as the Princess was ushered off, then deciding it time to go visit her own guest room. Standing up with her suitcase in tow – now noticeably lighter with one book missing – she began meandering the winding corridors.

It always amazed her how big this place was, even having visited this place several times since childhood she could get lost sometimes. Observing passing portraits and scenery outside of the windows, she turned a corner onto another corridor.

"Gajeel, why do you always make more work for my staff?"

She froze, eyes flitting to the corner up ahead.

"You dripped water all over the corridors! What did you do, go diving in a lake?"

A snort.

Taking a few steps back, her eyes darted side to side. There wasn't any door to escape through on this corridor!

Maybe she still had time to run back the way she came…

"Oh Levy-chan!"

Maybe not.

Forcing a smile onto her face which wavered, the young lady kept her eyes pin-pointed on the kind face of Mirajane, Head Maid of the castle. She tried her best to ignore the intimidating figure stood right beside the woman.

Clasping her hands together, the fair haired woman walked forward and pulled Levy into a hug. "Ah, it's so good to see you! How are things going?"

As she pulled away, Levy replied, "Things are going fine as always."

Mirajane smirked, "Chosen a husband yet?"

"What?" her eyes widened, "N-No!" She didn't want to think of choosing a husband till she at least turned eighteen – an event which was still at least half a year away.

"You should hurry, plenty of young men out there who'd want to marry a pretty thing like you."

The grim expression on Levy's face spoke volumes of how uncomfortable she was. She sent a glance to the nearest other person for hopes of sympathy, unfortunately she forgot that the only other person here was Gajeel Redfox.

As expected, he simply glared at her.

"Oh, that's right, I haven't introduced you!" Mirajane cried, grabbing Levy's wrist and dragging her forward. The girl cringed as the head maid pushed her in front of Gajeel, her hands on both shoulders as if to prevent her from escaping.

"Gajeel, this is Lady Levy McGarden, an important person to the princess and therefore an important person to us."

He stared down at her, his eyes narrowed and arms folded.

Oblivious to the tense atmosphere, Mirajane rambled on, "Levy, this is Gajeel Redfox, a new Knight of ours and also second-in-command to Erza."

The two individuals stared at one another in silence, one brooding and the other grimacing. When the hands around Levy's shoulders tightened, she quickly spoke up, "Um!" a false smile, "I-I'm Levy. Nice to… meet you..."

The hands tightened further.

She stuck a hand out in greeting, wary to not go against Mirajane's wishes; the woman could be scary when she wanted.

Gajeel stared at the offered appendage as if it had personally offended him; Levy was just about to retract it when Gajeel's eyes noted something slightly above her and with a grimace he grabbed her hand quickly and made a noise of acknowledgment her way.

Levy hid a wince at the brutal handshake.

As they separated their hands, Mirajane released Levy and came to stand beside the two with a kind smile whilst she clapsed her hands. "There, that wasn't so hard was it?"

Considering the wary gaze on Gajeel's face, Levy had a feeling that Mirajane's facial expression had come into play of him suddenly taking her hand.

"Well." The maid shrugged, "I'm leaving."

Turning to walk away, she made it only a few steps before she stopped and glanced over her shoulder, "Gajeel, you're a Knight, help the young lady by carrying the heavy luggage to her room and escorting her."

Gajeel's eyes narrowed. _"Fine."_

"Good!" with that, Mirajane walked away.

The duo both let relief wash over them at the eventual leave of the maid, both exchanging glances before it clicked who was before them, upon which they immediately tensed.

Without a second of hesitation he brushed past her and grabbed the suitcase off the ground whilst walking onwards. Not sure what else she could do, Levy ran after him, keeping a good few feet behind as she struggled to keep up with his large strides.

The guest quarters were placed in a building adjoining to the main castle, Levy having spent times there whenever she came for a nightly visit. Even so, the small walk seemed incredibly long whilst accompanied by Gajeel… She would have felt better if the Exceed Pantherlily had at least been there.

"Room?"

"Eh?" she glanced up from her feet, noting how they were now at the entrance to the guest quarters. Gajeel sent her a withering look over her shoulder, "Your. Room. Number."

Her lips dipped at the tone of voice, though she doubted she had the courage to stand up to him twice in one day so she didn't comment on it. "T-Thirteen."

With a nod he stormed on.

She sighed, rubbing a hand to the back of her neck at the knots that had already formed there from the stressful day.

Reluctantly following him, Levy hid a smile when they finally reached her room. Pushing the door open and dropping her luggage in the doorway, Gajeel spared her a glance, "Alright?"

"T-That's fine." A pause. "Thank you…"

Running a hand through his hair as he walked past her, Levy caught the bruised mark on his forehead and instantly guilty set in.

True the guy had been a jerk to begin with, but he_ had_ thought she was an intruder – he was only doing his job. And now… Well, she had sent him into a fountain by throwing a high heel at his head, anybody would be angry at that.

With a nod at this conclusion, she turned around and stared at his retreating back. Sucking in a deep breathe, she blurted, "I'm sorry!"

He stopped.

She tensed.

Slowly, he glanced back at her. "What?"

"Um…" she struggled to form a sentence for a few seconds, causing her face to redden at her unintelligent response. "F-For the shoe… and the f-fountain."

His expression darkened.

"I really am sorry!" she cried, bowing quickly a few times, anything to make him stop glaring at her like that, "I don't know what came over me."

She remained bowed over, her eyes glued to the floor as a few moments of silence passed.

"Whatever."

Huh?

Standing up right, she watched as the Knight vanished around a corner without another word.

Had that been an 'apology accepted' response? He hadn't snapped at her, so perhaps?...

"Ooh!" she let out a frustrated groan and ran two hands through her hair at the confusing actions of the Knight.

This was gonna be a long month wasn't it?...

* * *

><p>"Hey Gramps!"<p>

"Sit down boy."

The young man sent a questioning glance at the sudden command but sat down none the less, his hands resting behind his head in a relaxed manner. "What's going on?"

The man seemed almost grim as he replied, "You've been invited…"

"Huh?"

"To Princess Lucy Heartphilia's eighteenth birthday."

A pause

"Woo hoo!" throwing a fist in the air, the pink haired man leaned forward with a grin, "Really?"

Sighing, the old man nodded, "Unfortunately."

As the younger man jumped up out of his seat and began eagerly cheering, the King of Magnolia could only watch with a mournful expression.

Every time Duke Natsu Dragneel went to Acalypha (or come to think of it, most places) it only ended in chaos. He'd lost count of how many times he'd had to pay the King there for damages, not to mention the close relationship Natsu held with the Princess that her father looked down upon – which was understandable considering Natsu always ended up somehow involving her in the trouble he caused.

"You sure about this Gramps?"

King Makarov sent a side glance to the younger man, "It can't be helped, the Princess personally requested him there… And we _do_ need a representative for our Kingdom." He shot a sharp glance, "Since you refuse to go Laxus."

The Prince shrugged, "I've got better stuff to do." He glanced at the yelling duke, "Better start emptying the royal funds though, _him_ there for three weeks?" A smirk. "You'll be needing them soon."

A small groan was the only King's response.

"Woo hoo! I get to see Lucy again!"

* * *

><p><strong>Thank you to all of those who pointed out any mistakes or advice. (^_^) I do check my chapters multiple times but errors will always get by… (I should probably get a beta tester in the future). <strong>**Just a note aswell – I DO live in England so some spellings and grammar may differ…**


	3. Dancing Lessons and Impetuous Arrivals

**Apologies for long update. Personal life keeping me away dammit. Also, I now have a beta for this story who kindly volunteered... QueenyLeAcH - Great thanks to her for this chapter in correcting mistakes and grammar.**

**Anyway, a lot starts happening from this point on so I can only hope I manage to have it all keeping sense...**

* * *

><p><strong>Opposites Attract<strong>

**. . . . .**

_#03: Dancing Lessons and Impetuous Arrivals _

**. . . . .**

Okay, right foot back. Left foot left.

A growl.

She winced, murmuring out a quick apology.

Right foot left. Left foot forward-

Another growl.

Ignore him. Ignore him…

Right foot-

"Forget this!" he growled, pushing her away hastily and causing her to stumble.

Lisanna, who has been watching the two of them grimaced and quickly intervened. "Gajeel," she warned, reprimanding him for his harsh actions to a noble. "Cm'on, don't give up now."

He sent a glare at the fair-haired young girl, "She can't go four steps without messing up."

Levy glanced down guiltily and - as Lisanna tried to persuade the young Knight to stay- she allowed her eyes to wander across the ballroom to see if Lucy was fairing any better. The large spacious room was vacant, all tables and chairs stacked away till the next major event (which happened to be the princess's eighteenth). The only people inside the large space were those either teaching or learning how to dance.

Lucy remained twenty feet away dancing gracefully with a Knight volunteer named Elfman; even from this distance Levy could pinpoint the slightly narrowed eyes of concentration in each step. Not too far away, Mirajane stood watching over them and giving the occasional instruction.

Yep, doing _much_ better than her.

Levy had finally agreed to come along with the Princess – what were friends for, if not for sharing suffering? – and so the three fair haired employees of the castle (also siblings) had reined in another male knight to help with the additional learner.

Gajeel.

As soon as she'd walk in and seen him, she'd known it could only go downhill from there…

_"_You've got to be kidding me."__

_Levy__'s __shoulders slumped as soon as she entered the room, her eyes pin-pointed on a certain individual within it. Lucy, who was oblivious to the comment, came up from behind and sent her a smug smile. "Told you you'd be doing it too."_

_Levy sent her a frown but said nothing. The princess seemed much happier now that Levy was in on the suffering – or, you know, "dancing lessons" as they called it._

_Both girls entered the room, the people inside turning to watch them._

_"_Why is _he_ here?" Levy whispered, inclining her head to the brooding man.__

_(Had she looked at Gajeel at that moment, she would have noted the narrowed gaze and the fact he could hear her with his superior hearing)._

_"_How should I know?" Lucy shot back under her breath, "Mira is the one in charge."__

_"_Good morning___, __Princess. Morning__, __Lady McGarden."_

_"_Hi Lisanna."__

_The young girl smiled at them, clasping her hands behind her back. "Since Levy is joining us today, we'll have __to split __you two up so it doesn't disrupt the Princess's lesson, and where she is in learning. Lucy will be taught by Mirajane and Elfman, and myself and Gajeel will teach Levy."_

_Levy nodded at the young maid__. __Lisanna was a kind hearted girl and somebody who was close enough with both of them to acknowledge them on first name basis when by themselves. (Of course in the presence of high authority figures such as the King, all formalities were kept)._

_"_Okay," Lisanna nodded at Lucy, "Mirajane and Elfman are waiting for you; Mira-nee said she has some new techniques to teach you."__

_Lucy smiled grimly. "Can't wait." Walking over to the duo who stood in the centre of the room, she waved to Levy. "Good luck."_

_Levy's eyes wandered to the two fair haired people, confusion dawning. "Wait, why has Elfman got his mouth gagged?"_

_Lisanna paused before smiling shyly. "Gajeel did it. He kept going on about 'leading a dance is manly' all the time."_

_Levy laughed at the very believable impression, her smile dimming when they reached a certain Knight._

_"_This is Gajeel, Mira said you've already met?"__

_"_Y-Yeah…"__

_Over the __course of the last __two days Levy had been here, she hadn't seen Gajeel since he helped her with her luggage – she'd kinda been hoping that it __would remain that way__. She didn't hate the man or anything__; __it was just that every second she was with him, he always ended up making her feel inadequate._

_"_Well Gajeel is very experienced in dancing-"__

_"_He is?"__

_Lisanna laughed at the doubtful expression on Levy's face__; __the blue haired girl immediately flushed when she realized she'd spoken aloud, her head bowing down in embarrassment._

_Lisanna patted Gajeel on the shoulder, oblivious to the glare he sent her way. "Yup. He's amazing at the waltz if you ignore the sour look on his face. See, ages ago he had to learn because of this mission-"_

_Gajeel grunted, interrupting her explanation, "Can we get this over with?"_

_"_Yes please___,__" Levy added._

_Lisanna blinked, glancing between the two obviously miserable people. So neither of them were willingly here__, __huh? She knew Mirajane had been the one to talk Gajeel into helping when it became apparent Levy would be learning, (she just didn't want to think about _**_how _**_Mirajane had 'persuaded' the intimidating man to agree though) but it seemed Levy was just as unwilling too._

_She had two 'students' with no motivation what so ever... This __would most likely __be a fun lesson._

_Retaining a smile and hoping it would lighten them up, she turned to Gajeel. "Okay then, let's do some simple steps. Levy, you watch and try and copy them later okay?"_

_"_Okay…"__

An hour later and Levy just wanted to go to her room and curl up till the end of the month.

It wasn't that she was bad at dancing… really! As a noble it was expected of her to learn at a young age, but when you had a large and intimidating man glaring down at you, it was kinda hard to focus.

Glancing away from the Princess, she tuned back into the conversation before her.

"…stop here today then; but the day after tomorrow and I want you back here again."

"Whatever."

As Gajeel stalked off, Lisanna rolled her eyes with a smile and walked forward to link her arm with Levy. "So, Mira will probably keep poor Lucy there for another half hour at least. Fancy a walk?"

She smiled brightly. "Sure."

* * *

><p>Panting heavily, the young man pressed himself against the brick wall, hair plastered to his forehead as his eyes sought out the deserted street. Distant laughter from a bar some streets over filled the night, townsfolk enjoying their drunkard night. Meanwhile, the man ran a sleeve over his sweat covered face and began peeking out of the alleyway, gaze flickering left and right.<p>

Now!

Bursting forward, he pushed his feet against the ground and propelled across the street, heart hammering wildly against his chest. When he caught blurred movement in his peripheral vision his heart clenched and tears prickled his eyes as he ran onwards.

No, please no, just a little further-

He screamed.

Pain flared in his right shoulder, his scream ringing out throughout the street as he fell forward, face meeting the floor. He quickly scurried fingers against the floor to turn around and face his attacker. Eyes wide, he let out a small sob as a figure walked steadily towards him; he clutched his injured shoulder in pain.

"N-No! Please, please, d-don't… I-I…"

The figure stopped before him, he swallowed as his eyes landed on the point of a blade aimed at his neck.

"Drip, drip, drop."

"No…"

The blade sailed through air.

"**NO!"**

His scream ended.

* * *

><p><strong>...<strong>

* * *

><p>The guards of Acalypha all stood to attention as the royal carriage pulled into the courtyard, Princess Lucy and King Jura stood to the side awaiting the arrival.<p>

Coming to a stop, two footmen stepped off the back of the carriage and walked to the side of the vehicle. However before either could open it, the door flew open and collided with their faces, sending both painfully to the floor. The young man from inside jumped onto the floor with a wild grin on his face, "Heya, Lucy!" he yelled, waving eagerly.

The blonde stared for a moment before slapping a hand to her face and muttering something, a sharp look from her father however and she straightened up primly and mended her stoic expression. As guards ran forward to help the injured men Levy, who was watching the scene from one of the palace windows, smiled in amusement.

"So the moron's here, huh?" a voice drawled.

"Mm. Duke Natsu sure knows how to make an entrance."

A snort. "I'm surprised the King doesn't just exile him or throw him in the stocks."

She sent a smile to the person who'd appeared beside her only to freeze; the figure met her gaze and mimicked the expression, neither having realized for a moment whom they were speaking too. The strange thing was, Levy didn't even know _why_ they were acting so awkward, after all what was wrong if they had a civil conversation? It was natural and it wasn't as if it was ruled anywhere that they had to remain ignorant of one another the entire time she was staying here... Even so, she found she didn't have the courage to raise this point so she remained silent.

Gajeel was the first to clear his throat and back off, Levy following and straightening up properly.

"Well… I'll be going," she declared with a nervous laugh.

Gajeel nodded and the two separated to begin walking…

…in the same direction.

She shot him a look. "I'm going to go greet the Duke."

He returned the expression. "I'm second in command so I'm expected to be there to acknowledge them for the knights."

A raised eyebrow. "Why aren't you already down there then?"

A growl. "_Because_ certain shrimps are keeping me with pointless chatter."

Ignoring the fact that even without them speaking, he would have been late...

"W-What did you call me!"

Silence.

"Hey!"

Still no response.

She stood fuming in irritation for a moment, glowering at his retreating form before realizing she wanted to go that way too. With a sigh she ran after him, "Wait for me!"

A pause.

"And I'm _not_ a shrimp!"

.

"Psst, Lucy."

Lucy blinked as Natsu fell into step besides her, casting a quick glance to her father walking a few feet in front of her. Seeing he was focused on a conversation with Gildarts, the Head Knight who had come along to assist Natsu (aka make sure he didn't destroy the place), she smiled warmly back at him. "You can't make one quiet entrance can you?"

He grinned, placing his hands casually behind his head and bumping her on the shoulder. "I've already thought of some great places we can go adventuring. On the way here I saw this river-"

"No,Natsu."

He froze, snapping quickly out of it, he glanced at her to make sure he wasn't hearing things and when he took in her serious expression he pouted. "Why?"

Narrowing her eyes, Lucy leaned in to whisper. "I'm turning eighteen in a month, Natsu! I'll officially be old enough to be the heir then; I can't go waltzing off with you and being irresponsible like we have done in the past."

Still frowning, the pink haired Duke settled for folding his arms, looking ready to speak but the Princess gave him no chance.

"_And_," she persisted, "I have to pick a suitor as a husband, so I can't exactly go gallivanting off with an unmarried man can I?"

Natsu's eyes narrowed at this. "But-"

"No means no." Lucy emphasised, waggling a finger at him. When her father cast a glance over his shoulder, she quickly hid it and returned to standing properly. Natsu also seemed to remember for once he was a noble and mended his stride as well. Both teenagers stopped when the King turned to them, Natsu nodding in acknowledgment.

"King Heartphilia, apologies for the rude entrance."

Lucy mentally rolled her eyes at the hint of glee in his voice, and judging from Gildarts expression he did too. Thankfully her father missed it and nodded, offering a hand to the young Duke. "Pleasure to have you here, Duke Dragneel; will the King of Magnolia be joining us anytime?"

Whilst taking his hand Natsu nodded, a grin forming, "The old man will be here for the party. Laxus might be coming too if he can be bothered."

Lucy tried to hide her groan; couldn't he act formal for once in his life for more than a minute?

Nodding, King Jura turned around. "Let us go in then! I'll have one of my servants take your luggage to the guest rooms."

"Thanks!"

A slap.

"I-I-I mean, thank you very much, Your Highness."

Lucy and Gildarts exchanged as Natsu nursed his shoulder and casting Lucy a hurt look; it was gonna be an exhausting month.

And to think the Head Knight Erza Scarlet was to be returning today…

"I think I'm getting a headache already," Lucy whined.


	4. Gossip

**Thanks for the reviews guys, means a lot to me when I get feedback on a story. Thank you again to QueenyLeAcH for beta-ing~**

**note1: I've decided to alter the dividers slightly, if you see '...' between two dividers then that's just a way of showing it's another day instead of the same day - I've edited the previous chapters to include the same thing. (^_^) **

**. . . . .**

**Opposites Attract**

**. . . . .**

_#04: Gossip_

**. . . . .**

Erza blinked several times, hoping that at some point the scene before her would disappear and it would turn out to be simply a hallucination or dream…

But no.

The scenario before her stayed as it was, and Erza wondered, only briefly, what she should do before settling on good old anger. Tightening the grip on her sword handle, she began marching forward. The terrified faces of Natsu and Lucy drawing ever closer…

This should be fun.

* * *

><p><strong>FOUR HOURS EARLIER<strong>

Levy shut her door with a sigh, leaning against it in exhaustion. Maybe tomorrow she'd spend the majority of the day in bed after walking around so much – that blissful thought was then eradicated when she realized she had dancing lessons tomorrow in the early morning. Dammit.

Dragging her feet along the floor, she sat down on her bed and began pulling her heels off. She'd tried wearing something with a little more height after the 'shorty' comment by Gajeel. One glance at the clock told her it wouldn't be long till midnight and she mentally noted not to spend every night talking to Lucy late into the night.

After dressing into her nightwear, she glanced at the balcony doors, which were still open and letting a draft in. Quickly, she padded over and took a hold of them to close-

Wait.

Pausing, she leaned forward to peer over the balcony, eyes spotting a figure sat on a bench not so far away in the gardens. Curious, she slipped through the doors and took a few steps forward before recognizing the unruly hair and sighing. Why did he always seem to be everywhere she looked?

"It's rude to stare."

She flinched, eyes shooting to his figure but he remained with his back to her. Maybe she was just hearing things, maybe he hadn't-

"I'm talking to you, shorty." As if to make his point, he glanced back at her over his shoulder.

"How did you-"

"Dragon Slayer," he interrupted, "Enhanced hearing."

"Oh."

He turned back around, "Nice nightwear, you look like a kid playing dress up." She could practically hear the smirk in his voice.

Flushing, she folded her arms over herself. Why did he always have to remark on her appearance? And how the hell could he see her in the dark? "Do you have enhanced eyesight or something?"

"Yup."

Oh.

"Really? What other things-"

He stood up and began walking off.

"Hey!" she shouted, instantly slapping her hands over her mouth and flitting her gaze to the windows of the next room. Luckily, she didn't seem to have woken Natsu up,so she spoke again – softer this time since he had enhanced hearing and would still hear her regardless – "Where are you going?"

"Off," he yelled back so loudly it made her wince."I'm not gonna get any peace with you around."

She rolled her eyes at the comment, turning and walking back into her room. Why did she even bother?

Forcing thoughts of the Dragon Slayer out of her mind, she clambered into bed. Time to get some much needed sleep-

Her stomach growled.

God dammit.

* * *

><p>Walking out of her bathroom, Lucy sighed happily and began walking to her bed. Nothing like a delightful sleep after a long hard day of lessons… Shuffling under the bed sheets, she smiled contently and snuggled against her water blanket.<p>

Huh, her water blanket sure had gotten very human-shaped since last time.

"Natsu?"

"Mm?"

Opening her eyes, she came face to face with the pink haired Duke lying in her bed, an innocent grin covering his face.

"Why are you in my bed?" she asked sweetly.

"I wanted to see you and see if- ouch!" He bolted up when she kicked him, shooting her a hurt look. "That hurt."

Clutching the bed sheets to her form as if to preserve her decency, the princess glared at him. "Get. Out!" She kicked at him again to give him a hard push.

"What? Hey, stop-"

"Out. Out. OUT!"

"Stop kicking!"

"**OUUUUT!"**

Landing on the floor with a thump, Natsu groaned."You don't have to be so rough."

"What the hell are you playing at?" she hissed, eyes flaring. "If somebody walks in now-"

"I just wanted to see you," he replied, standing up and staring at her sheepishly. "I arrived this morning but other than then, we haven't said a word to one another… And I've missed you, Lucy; I was looking forward to seeing you again."

The blonde glanced away with a huff, folding her arms and trying to play it off as she desperately attempted to hide the blush. "Things aren't like what they were before, Natsu… We're not little kids. In a month's time when I turn eighteen, we'll both be adults and I'll be heir to the throne and probably engaged soon after."

Sitting on the very edge of the bed – he didn't want to get another kick from Lucy's super-powered legs – Natsu frowned. "That's why I came here now. Happy was gonna come too but then he caught a scent of fish and went off, he said it was something like salmon and-"

"Natsu, get to the point."

"Hm? Oh, right!" he grinned. "Anyway, well since you can't come see me what with all your classes and duties, I decided logically to come see you!"

"You thought that logically huh?" she drawled. "Breaking into the room of the Princess – an _underage_ Princess –and sneaking into bed with her… that sounded logical to you?"

He blinked. "Sure."

She rolled her eyes but couldn't fight the smile of amusement on her face, "Oh fine, fifteen minutes of catching up… Then I'm kicking you out of here even if I have to throw you off the balcony."

"Yay!"

"Keep your voice down!"

* * *

><p>Levy peeked her head into the kitchen, a sheepish look on her face as her gaze wandered around the room. Seeing nobody, she walked in and padded across the floor to the cupboards, one look inside though and she mentally groaned. They'd moved everything around again…<p>

"If you're looking for the plates, they're now in the top drawer to the left of the oven."

She flinched in surprise, turning around to see a young maid watching her in amusement. "O-Oh, thanks."

Moving over to the suggested place she pulled out a plate, then another voice piped up, "Oh hello, Levy-chan, what are you doing up at this late hour?"

She turned around, briefly confused by the absence of the previous maid and Mirajane's new presence before catching herself and smiling. "Well… I fancied a bit of a midnight snack. I didn't really eat much at dinner."

Nodding, the white haired maid walked in. "Sit down at a table, how does a sandwich sound?"

"Oh, um… Okay," she said, placing herself on a seat.

"So…" Mira began, glancing at her out of the corner of her eye, "Who do you think Lucy's gonna pick as a husband?"

Noticing the bait for gossip, Levy smiled and decided to bite. "Hm, I don't really know… She's friends with a lot of the guys who are coming, although from what I know, she doesn't seem to have a romantic relationship with any of them…"

"Hm." Mira pondered, "She _is_ close with Natsu who just came. In the past I had a feeling something was going on between those two at times…"

"You said the same thing with Prince Gray, Knight Loki and a bunch of other guys she spent more than five minutes with," Levy drawled.

Mirajane simply smiled at the comment, returning back to the table with the plate.

Levy contemplated the thought for a moment in amusement, "Although… I have to admit, I have thought once or twice over the years that Lucy and Natsu would make a great couple. They're so close that it wouldn't really be surprising if they ended up together." She smiled at the prospect of it, "I wonder if Lucy _would_ pick him as a husband."

At those words, Mira's face fell slightly. "Well, it isn't just Lucy's choice really… We do have to take into consideration her father; if he's strongly against the marriage then it won't happen."

Offering a small "Thank you" when Mira passed the plate over to her, Levy frowned as they both mulled this thought over. It was pretty clear Natsu wasn't exactly in King Jura's good books…

"Poor Natsu."

"Poor Lucy."

They both exchanged looks before Mira melted her expression into a smile, "Ah well, he still has an advantage on other suitors. After all, he is a dragon slayer, he's stronger that almost any man."

"Mm." Levy nodded, her mind going over the facts she'd already learnt about the slayers. It really was remarkable to see them when they used their magic, as it was only certain creatures that could use magic usually like Vulcans or Exceed… To think one of them – dragons – had taught humans how to use magic was fascinating.

"How many dragon slayers have you met, Mira?"

"Three. You've met two of them already yourself." A smile formed as the head maid leaned in and Levy felt her own lips lifting, considering the happiness in the older woman's face, she was about to get an hour's worth of gossip – ahem, meaning information– on the subject.

* * *

><p>Erza Scarlet, Head Knight of Acalypha, walked the castle corridors, a bag slung around her shoulder, and a dead animal of some sort hanging from her belt. All the servants offered a "Welcome back" as she passed them, hiding the small fear at the return of the intimidating young woman.<p>

Spotting a figure leaning against a wall ahead, she slowed down to a stop. "Gajeel." She nodded in acknowledgment.

He glanced at her. "Heard you were back, practically every servant is running around spreading the news in alarm."

She smiled in amusement, walking on and having her second in command fall easily into step beside her. "Anything interesting happen whilst I was gone?"

He made a small snort which she decided was Gajeel-code for "No."

"Nah but a few guests of the Princess's are already here," he commented.

"Who?"

"Some noble girl and Magnolia."

She nodded again, about to make a comment when Gajeel suddenly stopped, cocking his head to one side. She watched him for a moment, knowing full-well he could hear at a far distance, and tried to gauge what he heard from his expression. Aside from a raised eyebrow though, she got nothing.

"Huh."

"What?"

He sent her a smirk. "Seems our Princess is having a late night guest."

At those words, Erza's eyes narrowed and turning around, she began marching down the hallway with an amused Gajeel left behind. He snickered as he walked in an opposite direction, that should be fun…

* * *

><p>"Will you go already?" Lucy hissed, practically shoving him out the doorway.<p>

"Will you watch it?" he asked, "I have super-hearing, I don't hear anybody coming."

Dropping her arms from his back – wasn't like she could move him anyway – she stepped back in her doorway and folded her arms, "Don't come sneaking into my room again."

"Got'cha." He grinned.

She sighed, he was going to do it again anyway wasn't he?

"Was nice talking to you, Lucy," he said, ruffling her head with a hand which she protested to. "See ya later."

Swatting his hand away and trying to sort out her now messed-up hair, she sent him a look. "Oh, just go already!"

"Yeah, yeah, I'll bring Happy next time!"

"There won't be a next time!" she chided.

He sent her a grin to reply when he suddenly froze, body going tense and eyes widening in terror.

"Natsu?"

"Crap."

She blinked as he suddenly turned around ready to run when a voice stopped him in his tracks.

"Natsu."

Lucy went still, the colour draining from her face as both of them stiffly turned their heads to be met with the storming gaze of Erza Scarlet.

"E-Erza?" she replied in a high falsetto, "Y-You're back!"

Her eyes narrowed as she began marching forward, one hand making its way to her sheathed sword. "Princess, it's late."

Her eyes shot to the pleading expression on Natsu, his gaze practically shouting _"D__on't leave me!"_

Unfortunately, her fear of a serious Erza dominated any pity she felt for the pink haired Duke.

So with a quick "goodnight" she slammed the door shut.

Sorry, Natsu.

Hopefully, Erza wouldn't kill him…

* * *

><p><strong>...<strong>

* * *

><p>Biting her lip in concentration, Levy mentally listed the steps whilst Lisanna stood to the side watching with her arms folded.<p>

"1, 2, 3… 1, 2- You're too far apart, step closer!"

Levy frowned as she did as instructed, it was difficult to dance in high heels but it was the only way she was tall enough to keep a hand on Gajeel's shoulder without causing unnecessary problems.

"Okay, we'll try the turn from before! 1, 2, 3!"

Levy suddenly found Gajeel breaking his left hand from her right as she moved outwards, her dress billowing out around her. For a brief moment, she thought she was going to fall when her heel slanted, but at the last second Gajeel quickly came back and grabbed her hand again as they continued the steps.

"Thanks," she muttered, blowing a piece of stray hair out of her eyes.

"That was great!" Lisanna said, clapping her hands with a smile. "A bit fast but we'll try it again in a bit…"

"Whatever," he grumbled in response to her comment, eyebrows scrunched together. "Just don't step on my feet with those heels."

With a nod, they descended into silence for a few moves, Levy chancing a glance upwards at Gajeel through her eyelashes, "So…"she began, his eyes wandering downwards at her voice. "You're a Dragon Slayer."

He stared at her. "And?"

A shrug. "I've only met Natsu before so you're only the second Slayer I've met."

"There aren't many of us."

"I know that but-"

"Alright. 1, 2, 3!"

Repeating the move, as soon as Gajeel caught her hand again she continued, "-I'm just interested. What's it like being a Dragon Slayer?"

"Not much to tell."

She frowned. "Cm'on, I want to know. I already know most of your childhood such as how you were raised by a dragon for your first thirteen years-"

"How did…"

"Mirajane." A pause. "And I already know about how you use iron dragon slayer magic-"

"When…"

"Mirajane." Another pause. "Not to mention you once being a part of a group of bandits called Phantom Lord-"

"How-" Gajeel broke off at the glance Levy sent him, and he sighed, it was already obvious by now. "Mirajane," he hissed. Damn that woman.

"So it's true then?" Levy asked, tilting her head. "You used to be a bandit?" Mirajane had been happy enough to tell Levy about Dragon Slayers last night as well as some information about Gajeel's early life, living as bandit.

Gajeel frowned, "Well I wouldn't call us bandits…"

"Then what _would_ you call a group of people who go around robbing people on countryside lanes and throwing them tied up in ditches?"

He sent her a glare.

"Mirajane's words," she said with an innocent smile.

"That's not-"

"Spin!"

She found herself smiling slightly as she moved into the spin, enjoying herself as she talked easily with Gajeel. She'd been rather surprised and well, alarmed, when Mira told her about Gajeel once being a part of the infamous bandit group. Even Levy had heard of Phantom Lord, a group of strong bandits who went around robbing unsuspecting travelers on roads a few years ago. Thankfully, the King of Magnolia had captured them all when they trekked onto his territory, and they'd been disbanded with their leader – Master Jose – thrown into jail.

"Why did the King not throw _you_ in jail?" she asked curiously, "I heard he let most of the bandits go, which caused a rather big uproar."

Gajeel sighed. "You're not gonna shut up about this are you?"

"Nope."

He shot her a look but replied. "Well when the old man realized most of us were teenagers, he basically thought "_Oh you tragic young children have been lead astray! Worry not, I shall give you a chance and set you on the path of righteousness!_"

She smiled in amusement. "Is that why he offered you a job as a Knight?"

"Uh huh… He knew I was a Dragon Slayer and wanted me on board." A shrug. "Good pay, food and housing so of course I took it." He sniggered. "The other Knights weren't exactly pleased though."

Choosing to ignore the gleeful look on his face, which were most likely some memories Levy wouldn't be fond of, she asked instead, "Why did he move you over here though?"

"That's none of your business."

She was caught off guard by the sudden harshness in his voice but decided not to push it. It was obviously something he didn't want to speak about. Oh well, maybe another topic. "So… What _did _happen with the rest of Phantom Lord?"

A shrug. "Dunno about all of them, but most took the chance he gave them and well, gave him the finger by using their freedom to go off and join some other bandit groups. They assumed that since he'd left them off, they could just pull the same stunt and get off scotch free every time."

"That's terrible."

A shrug. "The King easily caught them again and threw them to rot in jail, he ain't stupid. There were a few though who turned their lives around and are doing good stuff…" he seemed to trail off in thought here, so caught up in his mind that he missed a step that Lisanna called him out on.

With a grumble, he shot her a look. "Enough yapping, shut up and dance."

She nodded and decided to oblige, but she couldn't help the small smile that stayed on her lips for the rest of the lesson.

* * *

><p>"Oi, Gray!"<p>

Gray Fullbuster - Prince of the small city at the base of Mountain Hakobe – turned around at the sudden voice, "What is it Lyon?"

With a grin, the older boy walked over and patted him on the shoulder. "Better start packing, you're leaving in the morning."

It took a few moments for the words to sink in but when they did, he scowled. "Wait, what?" he glared as the older boy began walking off, "Why?"

Turning around to face him but continuing to walk away, the fair haired boy shot him a grin, "Acalypha's Princess is turning eighteen next month and is inviting guests – a.k.a potential suitors – to go stay there for a month leading up to the day."

He raised an eyebrow. "And I'm going why?"

"Because unlike me who is newly married," he lifted his hand to show off the gold band on his finger, "You are a single bachelor."

"Lucy's like a sister to me!" he snapped in protest.

"You're still going!"

"Lyon!"

Gray sighed as his older foster-brother (a.k.a Prince Lyon Bastia and heir to the throne) disappeared around a corner. Time to start packing then… Turning around to walk to his room, he mulled over the new revelation. Oh well, it wasn't that bad… He could have refused to go but he liked Lucy and if there were lots of people going there he'd probably see Natsu and get to have a few good old fights with him.

With a grin, he opened his bedroom door and stepped inside-

"Hi, Gray!"

"Gyah!" he glared at the intruder sat on his bed, "S-Sherry?

The pink haired young woman smiled at him, offering a wave. "Hello."

"W-Why are you in my bedroom?"

Standing up, she folded her arms beneath her chest and shrugged. "Just thought I'd come say bye since you're heading off first thing in the morning."

He frowned. Was he the last person to know about his own leaving?

Sherry Blendi – or, well, he guessed it was Sherry Bastia now since she was married to Lyon – smiled at him. The young Princess (and soon-to-be Queen when Lyon inherited the throne) walking over to stop in front of him.

"Is that all?" he asked.

"Ah, there was one other thing…"

He raised an eyebrow.

"One of my servants just returned after taking a trip to a town nearby Acalypha… Apparently quite a number of men have been placed in hospital after being attacked, the string of attacks seem to be leading towards the hometown of King Jura and his daughter Lucy."

"And?"

She shrugged lightly, still keeping an innocent smile on her face. "It was quite interesting how the men described their assailant…"

He remained quiet, waiting to see where she was going with this.

"Blue hair, dark eyes, a cold expression forever on their face…"

His eyes narrowed.

"They seemed to have a thing for saying- oh what was it again?" she placed a finger to her lips before her eyes widened, "Oh yes… _'Drip, drip, drop_.' Quite an odd and…unique thing wouldn't you say?"

"Sherry…" he warned, voice low.

Her smile vanished within a second, expression darkening as she stared at him. "Juvia Loxar."

He flinched at the name.

"It would seem she's taken up her old bandit lifestyle again wouldn't it?" she asked, gaze steady.

He said nothing, expression remaining blank.

"I won't stay any longer, I've said all I needed," she said curtly whilst walking to the door. "Just… be careful all right?" she asked, a small smile on her face. "I don't know exactly what happened between you and her when she worked here but it was obviously something."

When he shot her a look she sighed. "I'll go… Take care."

As the door closed, he glanced away, running a hand through his hair with a frustrated groan. Goddamit, how low could his mood sink within the span of five minutes? Sitting on the edge of his bed, he hunched over and stared vacantly at the floor. Suddenly, he wasn't looking as forward to this visit as he was before...

"Juvia huh?"


	5. Contemplation

**On hiatus right now due to busy life so next chapter will take a while, only reason this was finished is because it was written beforehand. (^_^') Was beta-d a while back but kept forgetting to upload... **

**. . . . .**

**Opposites Attract**

**. . . . .**

_#05: Contemplations_

**. . . . .**

"So… She hung you from a castle window, huh?"

"Yeah…"

"By your underwear."

"Yeah…"

"For everybody to see huh?" He smiled. "Now, I would have liked to see that." A second passed before he grimaced. "Actually scratch that, I don't swing that way…"

"Shut up, Loke."

The knight glanced aside to the exhausted looking Natsu, who had spent his entire night dangling outside a window by his unmentionables. "What _exactly _did you do to make her beat you within her five minute return?"

Natsu settled for glowering at him and folding his arms in a pout.

At the silence Loke sighed. "Ah well, whatever…" Standing up, the young man flicked a lock of his hair. "I would love to stay here sitting with you, but I have things to do, ladies to meet…" He smiled devilishly. "I'm on duty as the Princess's personal guard today, so can't stay too far away from her."

"How the hell did a womanizer like _you_ end up as knight? Aren't they usually well-respected?"

"Talent."

Natsu grumbled something under his breath, and walked away from the knight to go hole himself in his room for a few hours. A good hand of the castle had seen him in his un-glorified dignity before he was finally brought down…

"Damn Erza."

* * *

><p>Lucy glanced to the door, clapping her hands together and smiling gleefully. "Hakobe is here?"<p>

Coco nodded. "Prince Gray is here to represent them along with a few of his servants… We weren't expecting them so soon, so we weren't able to give them a formal introduction. Your father's just gone to greet them now, andalthough you're in a lesson at the moment, we were wondering if-"

"I'll go!" she said, all but slamming her hands on the table as she jumped out of her seat.

"Ah! But what about my lesson?" Ichiya yelled, standing a few feet away from her, a blackboard behind him.

"Sorry, but as Princess, it's my duty to greet my guests," Lucy replied, not even trying to hide her happiness as she walked to the doorway. "So um, guess we'll skip today. Bye." She then ran out faster than Coco herself – which was a considerable feat in itself – and began dashing down the hallways.

"Lucy!" a sharp voice suddenly snapped.

Turning a corner, she scrambled to a stop and quickly straightened up. "A-Ah, s-sorry, father." She forced a relaxed smile.

Instead of reprimanding her for running, he simply settled for sighing in a light-hearted way. "This is Prince Gray Fullbuster, you've met before."

Finally noting the person who stood behind her father, Lucy broke into a wide smile. "Gray! It's been so long."

He grinned as he walked forward. "Nice to meet ya, Princess." He gave her a quick squeezed hug and pulled away. "Almost eighteen, huh?"

"Have any potential suitors in mind?" her father asked.

"U-Um… Well, a few?" she trailed off, sounding more like a question than a statement.

Jura Heartphilia smiled down at his daughter. "Well, whoever you pick, I'm sure he'll be a dashing youth." With a nod to both of them, he excused himself. Lucy watched him with a hint of surprise in her face.

"He sure is a lot less strict than last time," Gray muttered.

"Yeah…" Lucy mumbled, "I wonder what good thing happened to him today."

"Maybe he saw Natsu."

"Huh?"

"Oh you didn't see?" Laughter. "It was hilarious, as we were entering the courtyard; we looked up and low and behold, Natsu hanging out a window by his underwear."

"Eh? Really?"

"I only wish an artist had been nearby to paint the scene…"

"Yeah, yeah, follow me… I'll show you where you're sleeping."

* * *

><p>A sigh.<p>

Levy glanced to the side of her where the fair haired maid sat with her on the grass. Observing Lisanna with a frown, she asked, "What's the matter?"

"Read this."

Taking the newspaper out of the maid's hands, Levy skimmed the contents of the front page. "A murder?"

"The attacker's getting more daring."

"Eh?"

Lisanna exchanged a solemn look with her. "For a while now, some figure's been attacking people. The trail started in another country and has slowly made its way here. Before it was just beating the men up…" A frown. "This is the first murder and I don't like how nearby the attack was."

"How can you be sure this was by the same attacker?"

"The weapon," Lisanna replied, "they use a rather unique blade, probably one they fashioned themselves."

"Oh…"

Noting the dark expression on the noble girl's face, Lisanna leaned forward. "Ah I'm sorry; I didn't mean to dampen your mood!" A smile. "I'm sure they won't come here… Everybody knows how terrifying King Jura can be with punishment to criminals."

"Mm, I know…" A pause and noting the maid's eagerness to make her happy, she brightened up with a smile. "Of course. Let's talk about more pleasant things instead."

"Good idea." Placing the newspaper face-down to the side, Lisanna turned back to her. "So, let's see…" She paused for a moment before smiling. "Oh yeah, did you know that once Mira fell this for knight?"

"A knight here?"

"No, he works at Magnolia last I heard."

"Oh, what happened?" Levy asked curiously. She'd never heard of Mirajane having a love interest before, the older women seemed much content being single.

"Well, Mira-nee doesn't like to talk about it, but from what I gathered…" Lisanna's face turned weird here, "he wasn't really interested in girls."

"You mean he was more devoted to his job?"

"No, I mean he wasn't _interested_ in girls."

Levy stared at Lisanna for a moment, "You mean…"

"Yup."

"He was…"

"Yes."

A pause. "Wow. Poor Mirajane."

Lisanna nodded sadly. "Yep, he was the first and only man Mirajane fell for… So sad he only had a taste for guys."

Levy sighed. "Well realistically, only a few love stories end happily in real life."

"Mmm… What about you?"

"What about me?"

"Do you have any special guy?"

"No, not yet…" she paused, "well, I have two close friends back home, who are nobles, they both tried to court me for a while, but…"

"But?"

A shrug. "I only see them as friends. Brothers more than anything really."

"Aw."

"And you?"

"Oh, well I did once have a crush on this guy… But." She shrugged. "He never returned the feelings."

Both girls sighed whimsically and laid back on the grass, wondering if they'd ever get their "happily ever after" in the end…

* * *

><p>Erza scowled as she read the latest newspaper, fingers tightening and crinkling around the pages. A few other knights milled around the main room, the one's here currently off duty and wasting time in the knight's quarters.<p>

"Sagittarius," she called.

The man on the opposite side of the room glanced up, seemingly in the middle of cleaning his boots. "Ah, yes, Miss. Scarlet?"

She narrowed her eyes as she glanced at him. "When you next see Loki or Scorpio, tell them to come to me. They're both on duty at the moment as personal guard for the Princess and King, but when they switch shifts with Virgo and Elfman, I want them here."

"A-Ah, of course, Miss. Scarlet," he said, nodding in politeness to her.

Folding the paper before her, she cast her eyes across the current knights in the room with her, all eyes were now in her direction as if sensing the announcement to come. "With this attacker getting too nearby for comfort, I want everybody to be on alert. Those of you who work shifts as personal guards for the King or Princess, keep your eyes open. Not so much within the castle… But if going outside, I don't want you to let them out of your sight for one second, understood?"

There was collective 'yes' as everybody nodded, and with a triumphant smile Erza stood up and headed to the doorway. But just as she was preparing to leave the room, another figure entered...

"Oh." She blinked in surprise, mouth forming a round shape. "Gildarts…"

Everybody glanced over in interest, all staring in awe at the famous knight of Magnolia.

He smiled warmly. "Hey, Erza, you're Head Knight now, huh?" He patted her on the shoulder. "I can still remember when you were a little tyke picking fights with Mira."

The red head flushed in embarrassment, glaring at her knights when a few sniggered, they were all smart enough to say nothing more.

"Anyway," he moved away. "Thought I'd give you all a heads up, not sure if you've heard yet?"

"Heard what?"

"About Jose Porla?"

Erza frowned. "What about him? I know he escaped from jail earlier last year, but nothing has been heard since, right?" She folded her arms. "His entire bandit business was disbanded; he wasn't seen as a large threat by the officials when he escaped."

"Ah, well about that." Gildarts grimaced as he rubbed the back of his neck. "I don't know if it's true, but I met with an old friend in a bar last night. There's a rumour going around that the guy was spotted nearby."

Erza's eyes narrowed and the knights behind her whispered. "Do you think it's linked with the attacker?" she asked.

"Oh, that? No, no… You don't need to worry about that." He laughed.

She frowned. "Huh?"

Catching himself, he quickly smiled, although Erza couldn't help but wonder exactly what he was hiding. "Anyway, we should probably be on our guard… Fancy working together during my time here?"

Erza's eyes widened. "I-It would be an honour Gildarts!"

He chuckled. "Looking forward to it then."

As the older man left; Erza smiled after him, only returning her stoic expression when the whispers continued. Turning around with a glare, she shut them up in an instant.

Yep, the Head Knight was one of the scariest people in this place.

* * *

><p>The young woman breathed heavily as she collapsed against the wall, biting her lower lip in pain and squeezing her eyes shut. Slowly dragging down the wall to the floor, she clutched her leg and winced in agony.<p>

Dammit.

Forcing her eyes open, she stared at the huge bruise blossoming upon her thigh and grimaced, walking with that would be a struggle…

But God darn it, she hadn't meant to kill the guy! She hadn't expected he'd fight back so skillfully, and well… In the end, it was either her life or his so in self-defense, she _had _to kill him. If she hadn't, she wouldn't be sitting here right now.

Breathing laboured, she let her head lightly knock back against the wall and stared upwards at the night sky. All these nights of searching down these men for information, all these fights she'd found herself in… She'd lost count of how long she'd been on the run like this. Months? A year perhaps? When she'd left Mount Hakobe, it'd been autumn, so… just under a year.

Sighing wistfully, Juvia Loxar glanced at the blood coated blade in her hands and frowned. Wiping it clean on the inside of her coat, she hid it away and used the wall to try and stand. She'd need to find a bed and breakfast or something to sleep at and sort her leg out for the night; a crutch of some sort wouldn't be a bad idea either.

But either way, tonight hadn't been a complete loss. Before the guy had overpowered her and fought back, she'd managed to get a few pieces of useful information.

"Lucy Heartphilia, huh?" she mused, limping towards the entrance of the alley. Last time she'd seen that girl had been over a year ago, back when she'd been working for Prince Gray and escorted him to Acalypha. She'd been almost-friends with the girl then…

Making her way down the road, she smiled weakly. First thing tomorrow morning, she was heading for Acalypha.

* * *

><p><strong>AN:<strong>

**Sorry for the lack of Gajeel/Levy, just hold onto your seats for now because the next two chapters have a lot of GaLe to make up for it (or GaVy, whatever couple term you prefer). **

**Can't say for definite how many chapters this story will be as of yet but I can say there are probably about five chapters till the first 'act' is over, say if this was in the form of a play or stage act… So expect a few action packed chapters leading up to that. (*_*)**


	6. AN & Market

**AU: Important relating to this story's update status, please read all and thank you. **

**So this is just an authors note saying I AM continuing this story on - want to get that firmly cleared first hand - but I will be restarting it. After being on hiatus for a few months, I've had a chance to improve my writing ability through practice and helpful criticism from new friends, and as such I've had a bit of a mental block on conti****nuing this because I feel the current chapters aren't "up to standard."**

**I've finally come to a resolve however, and as such will be dropping this story link and re-posting the story from scratch. (I'll eventually delete this first-attempt but for now shall leave it here so people know what is going on). I won't drop this story, right now it's my main priority and too much thought and plotting has gone into it for me to discard it - you have no idea how many plots and scenes I have planned leading from beginning to end.**

* * *

><p><strong>So, to clarify:<strong>

**- This story IS being continued.**

**- I shall be posting it from scratch on a new story link (shall only take a few weeks to re-edit the current chapters before continuing on).**

**- Things that will be edited in the chapters so far: Grammar, spelling, overall writing style. Will also be adding/changing some scenes so basically, when reposted, you should reread from scratch since the updated versions of the past chapters will be much different and possible include some added detail that is key to the plot.**

* * *

><p><strong>Sorry for leaving you waiting so long, the wait shan't go on much longer! To make it up to you, here is an extract from the beginning of the next chapter (Hopefully the improvements in my writing show through?)<strong>

**P.S - And yes I gave Loke a surname. Kudos to you if you know why I chose said name. ;D**

* * *

><p>#06: Market<p>

Levy beamed widely as she strolled down the small countryside path, arms swinging to and fro at her sides in contentment. She easily forgot how free and spacious it was outside when kept within the high castle walls - how Lucy managed to survive her entire life in such an entrapped place she'd never know.

Speaking of the blonde in question, the bluenette exchanged a sideward glance with Lucy walking in pace besides her. The princess had suddenly decided the previous evening that she wished to visit the nearby town the castle overlooked, expressing that she wanted to see the market there. Once a month, in the final weekend, townsfolk from other nearby places came by with their stalls of interesting displays. To some it might have seemed a trivial affair, but to a princess whose world was minimalized to one location for the majority of her life, it was a time in which she had freedom to do what she wished without obligation.

Luckily, the King had allowed this. Levy assumed even he realised his teenage daughter needed some time to relax, and upon having approval Lucy had happily invited Levy to come to with her - of course, she gladly accepted.

Trailing close behind the pair of girls were the two Knights appointed as their personal guards for the trip, Loke Laufay and Gajeel Redfox, aswell as Pantherlily who had decided to tag along that morning. The three males all followed closely behind the young women from a few feet distance, far enough to give them privacy but close to intervene should danger appear.

"…have you seen the stalls run by those six people? All family I think but I could be wrong…"

"Oh! You mean the ones owned by that man called Brain?"

"They have such beautiful clothing…"

Both Gajeel and Loke exchanged bland looks at the girl talk, their expressions speaking volumes of their unsaid feelings. Pantherlily, meanwhile, simply shook his head with slight amusement.

The quartet walked onwards and soon entered the small town, earning quite a number of glances as they passed through the roads in a tight group. Lucy's royal status wasn't exactly secret, after all.

"Oh Levy, look!" Lucy suddenly cried, grabbing the petite girl by the wrist and dragging her off to the side. Pointing a finger, she grinned. "It's that cool store owned by Laki! Have you _seen_ the wooden furniture she makes?"

Levy laughed. "I have. It astounds me how she makes such intricate things."

"I wonder if Millianna's stall is here, she has such adorable birds for sale!"

"Ah, Lu-chan, it's the book store!"

**"Princess!"**

The blonde came to an abrupt halt in her stride, turning around to find Loke approaching her with Gajeel not too far behind.

"Oh sorry Loke, didn't mean to go ahead." She apologised with a sheepish smile, but before Lucy could open her mouth to continue, a nearby group of townsfolk suddenly recognised her and began to speak excitedly, gaining the young woman's attention as she smiled warmly and turned to converse.

Loke ran a hand through threads of hair as he watched Lucy working her genuine charm on the locals, meanwhile Gajeel from his position behind glanced around with a downward tilt of the lips, scarlet eyes narrowed.

"Where'd the shrimp go?"

"Hm?" Loke frowned at the question, and looking around, noticed the absence of the certain blue haired noble.

Overhearing the both of them, Lucy cast a quick glance over. "Oh, Levy said something about a book store and- Oh, is that for me? Thank you!" She gushed, looking back towards a young child offering her a handmade necklace.

Loke glanced at Gajeel. "What should we do?"

Pantherlily appeared between the duo by walking between Gajeel's legs, staring up intently at them both. "Miss. McGarden is an honoured guest at the castle alongside being a precious friend of the Princess. Therefore, she is as much our responsibility as your Royal Highness there."

"I'll go fetch her…" Gajeel grumbled after a moment of hesitation. "You two stay here with the Princess and make sure she doesn't run off again."

"Sure thing." Loke cast him a wave as he sided up against the blonde, sending a chesire-like grin to a few women who stood a ways off, thus making them swoon. Gajeel simply shook his head in exasperation at the scene before walking off, nose twitching as he tried to picked out the girl's scent and eyes searching the crowd.

Time to hunt himself a bookworm…

* * *

><p><strong>Any questions relating to this decision, feel free to state them in a review or message me~<strong>


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